The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical connectors and more particularly to electrical connectors mounted to a panel of an electrical device or system.
Some electrical systems and devices today are designed to include ports along the panels or walls of an electrical system or device, such as a portable computer. The ports may allow an operator of the system to establish a communication or transmission line to a peripheral device (e.g., an RF antenna). In addition, the ports may allow the operator to establish a power connection for the system or the peripheral device. The ports generally include a receptacle that holds contacts configured to mate with an electrical connector coupled to the peripheral device. The receptacle is typically mounted to either the front or back side of the panel using hardware, such as screws, clips, pins, and the like. However, using hardware may increase the amount of time and cost used to construct the system. But if hardware is not used to attach the receptacle to the panel, the receptacle may inadvertently disengage from the panel during normal use of the system.
In some known connector assemblies, a receptacle body is mounted to a panel having a cut-out. The receptacle body includes an arm that extends parallel to and alongside an interior surface of the panel. The arm has a projection that extends toward the interior surface. In order to mount the receptacle body to the panel, a portion of the receptacle body is inserted through the cut-out. As the portion extends therethrough, the arm projection engages the interior surface of the panel causing the arm to flex backward. The receptacle body is then moved in a lateral direction alongside the panel such that the arm projection drags along the interior surface. When the arm projection clears an edge of the cut-out, the arm projection snaps into a locked position. As such, both a portion of the receptacle body and the arm projection extend through the cut-out. However, because the projection is exposed to a surrounding exterior, the projection may be inadvertently triggered causing the receptacle body to disengage from the panel. In addition, because the arm projection engages the interior surface before the receptacle body is moved laterally the stored energy within the arm may make mounting the receptacle body more difficult.
Thus, there is a need for an electrical connector assembly that may be mounted to a panel without using hardware. There is a need for an electrical connector assembly that may be mounted to a panel with a reduced risk of being inadvertently disengaged. There is a need for an electrical connector assembly that may be easier for a user to mount to a panel than the known mountable connector assemblies described above.